Jasper J. Mirabile - Jaspers Kitchen Cookbook: Italian Recipes and Memories from Kansas Citys Legendary Restaurant

In 1954, Leonardo Mirabile and his son, Jasper J. Mirabile, Sr., founded an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Kansas City. The restaurant soon became a popular dining spot and the first restaurant in the city to receive the coveted Mobil Four-Star rating for dining excellence. The AAA Four Diamonds and DiRoNA awards quickly followed, along with celebrities, international acclaim, and many other nationally recognized dining awards of excellence. Today, Jaspers is one of Americas premier locations for authentic gourmet Italian food.

The history of Jaspers Restaurant is an American saga of success attained through generations of hard work, family commitment, and steadfast devotion to excellence, and Jaspers Kitchen Cookbook shares that story, along with more than one hundred treasured Mirabile family recipes. Jasper Mirabile, Jr., chef and owner, offers his secrets to cooking favorite dishes from the restaurant and from his own family kitchen. From appetizers like Artichoke Bambolinis, to soups and salads such as Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Sicilian Orange and Olive Salad, and from entres like Truffled Macaroni and Cheese and Osso Buco Milanese, to desserts like Tartufo and Espresso and Chocolate Torte, Jaspers Kitchen Cookbook will fill your home kitchen with rich, delicious Italian flavors.

A LSO BY J ASPER J. M IRABILE , J R .

T HE J ASPERS C OOKBOOK

Jaspers Kitchen Cookbook 2009 by Jasper J. Mirabile, Jr. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. For information, write Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

E-ISBN: 978-0-7407-9042-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009923689
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Cover photos 2009 by Thomas Gibson
Book design by Kelly Ludwig

www.jasperskc.com

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Cover design by Tim Lynch

Call him the king of Italian cuisine. The sovereign of slow food. The prince of locally produced ingredients. Call Jasper Mirabile, Jr., whatever you want to, as long as he calls you to dinner.

Because whatever Jaspers titles are in his vast fiefdom of foodeducator, radio show host, world traveler, author, businessmanits his passion for cooking that earns him the crown as one of the countrys most respected and beloved chefs.

In fact, if youre lucky enough to live in Kansas City, youll swear Jasper has a clone. Take a typical Saturday morning in July. Theres Jasper, extolling the virtues of heirloom tomatoes at a farmers market before heading to his regular gig as food guru on the Live! From Jaspers Kitchen radio show. By midafternoon, hes teaching a cooking class at a Hen House grocery storewhere colorful jars of his divine pasta sauces line the shelvesbefore rushing back to his restaurant to host an event for a big-name cookbook author. Later, he oversees the kitchen of his award-winning dining room.

Its no secret to Jaspers legion of fans that hes incredibly generous with his time and talents. That generosity extends to sharing these recipes that have been passed down from family members and crafted from trips to the Mirabile homeland.

Jaspers passion for good foodand all the camaraderie and joy that accompanies itis a gift. And now, by owning this cookbook, its a gift you can share with the people you love.

Katie Van Luchene, executive editor of Kansas City Magazine and
author of The Insiders Guide to Kansas City

You can say that my love affair with Jaspers started the first day I laid eyes on Jasper Mirabile, Sr. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I was just a teenager in high school, and I used to frequent a drugstore called Parview on Independence Avenue. Jasper worked thereit was one of his first jobs as a teenager. Jasper used to tell his friends at the soda fountain that he was going to marry Josephine Cropis someday.

I graduated from Northeast High School in Kansas City, and Jasper graduated from De La-Salle Military School. He had a brand-new black Dodge and was the only person in the neighborhood with a car. Actually, it was his fathers car, but I didnt know that at the time! I was going to the Gladstone Theatre, and Jasper asked me if I needed a ride. We talked that evening, and I fell in love with him. It was Easter time, and he told me he was on his way to play football at St. Marys, in California. I heard nothing from him for a while, and I thought he had dumped me, but that summer he returned to Kansas City, and we began dating.

I must tell the truth. In the beginning, I thought Jasper was more interested in my mothers meatball recipe and her lemonade than he was in me. Seriously, I thought that was the only reason he called on me.

Jasper and I dated for six years. During that time he was very busy working at his fathers bar, The Lucky Tavern at 12th and Troost, and attending school. We actually had to schedule time to be alone! It wasnt easy to get him to propose to me. His sense of responsibility and love of family were priorities for him. Family meant everything to Jasper then and until the day he passed.

In 1953, we were married at St. Johns Catholic Church and had a reception at the Town Hall. We had a big, wonderful Italian wedding that included family, friends, and, of course, food. There were tables full of cookies and family specialties, including a big festive dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Early the next morning, at 1 a.m., we had breakfast at the Southern Mansion.

The next day, we left for New York in Jaspers new car, a yellow Pontiac convertible, with $1,400 in cash. Jasper was anxious for me to meet his New Jersey family and all the friends he had grown up with. I felt like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I knew we werent in Kansas (City) anymore, and I felt as though Id just entered the Emerald City!

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, for $22 per night, and we stayed there only for 2 nights. I couldnt stand the hotelI was the girl from Ord Street! What did I know back then? So we moved to another hotel and had a suite for $12 per night.

During our visit, I met Jaspers cousins, the Lombardinos. This was the first time I had met Paul and Christine Lombardino and theirchildren, Carl and Marie. When we left their home, Christine told Jasper we would have gravy on Sunday. During the ride back to the city, I remember asking Jasper, Why are we eating gravy? Jasper laughed and said, Josephine, gravy is what they call sauce here. We are going to eat pasta with gravy!